Spicejet to pay Rs 10 lakh for offloading disabled: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday awarded Rs 10 lakhs as damages to Jeeja Ghosh of Kolkata, a disabled passenger suffering from cerebral palsy who was offloaded by SpiceJet while travelling from Kolkata to Goa to attend a conference in 2012.

A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and R.K. Agrawal, allowing Ms Ghosh’s petition, said a little care, a little sensitivity and a little positive attitude on the part of SpiceJet officials would not have resulted in the trauma, pain and suffering Jeeja Ghosh suffered. This led to the violation of her human dignity and her fundamental rights, it said.

The bench said Jeeja Ghosh herself was a living example who had, notwithstanding her disability, achieved so much by sheer determination. The bench held SpiceJet acted in a callous manner, and violated civil aviation rules. The bench directed the airline to pay Rs 10 lakhs in damages to her within two months. The bench asked the director-general of civil aviation to ensure all airports get the assistive equipment needed.

On flights, it said the cabin crew should assist passengers to access the toilet if requested using on-board wheelchairs, and also ensure communication of essential information on a flight be in accessible formats. Likewise, in-flight entertainment must also be in accessible formats.